Crash Bandicoot Origins
by GamerRob17
Summary: Based on the widely popular video game franchise, Crash Bandicoot Origins is a retelling of the titular character's creation by Neo Cortex from an ordinary animal to the lovable goofball that has captured the hearts of millions of gamers. New chapters at least once a month, and good reviews are welcomed.
1. Chapter 1

Not even thirty minutes ago, a sweet, reddish bandicoot named Crash was peacefully listening to the rustling of leaves. After an afternoon of playtime, he had gotten worn out, and wanted to take a nap, although he would later regret it. After awaking, Crash just lied there, listening to the whistling of the wind and, of course, the rustling of leaves across the plains of his Australian island home.

The next thing he knew, Crash noticed a duo of short, yet surprisingly intimidating, people that picked him up, shoved him into a box, and tossed into the back of a Jeep. Unable to do anything, Crash just squealed helplessly as the Jeep began to creep forward for a few seconds before speeding along through the desert. With nothing else to do, Crash just bundled up in a corner and fell asleep again.

"Are you sure we are guaranteed success?" the green coated man asked.

"Trust me, Brio," the white coated man replied. "Sometimes, it's the unexpected that works out for the better. You, of all people, should know that."

"Well, sure," Brio replied. "But c'mon, Cortex. Sometimes, I question your judgment. Even for you, this plan is a long shot."

"Bah!" Cortex snarled. "For world domination, nothing is too farfetched. We have been working for far too long to give up now. And, like I said, the unexpected can sometimes benefit the prepared."

"But…"

Cortex snapped. "I will not allow such negligence get between me and control of the world! I will take whatever risks I want to, and if you don't like it, you can just walk away. In fact…" Cortex brought the Jeep to a screeching halt, and pointed to the passenger side door.

"There's the door, Brio. If you don't want onboard, then just walk away. I'll get what I want, and your conscious is clear. It's your choice." Brio thought about this for a moment, for he wanted to have control of the world, but he also didn't want his lifelong goal to be gambled with a long shot of a plan.

"I… don't want to throw it away," Brio finally replied. "I'll stay, no more questions asked."

Cortex smiled, patting Brio's back as he continued to drive the Jeep through the hot, unforgiving desert.

The drive, just like Crash's nap, was mostly peaceful, save for the small roar of the Jeep's engine. Brio and Cortex had not discussed much else to each other except for some small talk concerning their plan.

Crash could hear them speak, but he couldn't understand either of them. Still unable to do anything, Crash looked through the slotted door of his cage. Outside, he saw an astonishing, monolithic castle; the castle was colored dark grey, stood almost 1,000 feet above the ground on a mountainside, and a plume of ash erupted from the nuclear plant stationed behind it. Three large stone towers rose from the castle as well, giving those who observed it a sense of inferiority.

As the Jeep drove up the mountain road, a large figure emerged from the castle; from a distance, it almost looked like a Sasquatch-like being, but as the vehicle neared, this was not the case. Upon closer inspection, the figure looked to be about six feet tall, covered with bluish fur, and had the face of a koala.

"Ah, Koala Kong," Cortex said to the creature. "We brought you some more weights to carry to the cells." He pointed to the three cages in the back. "Knock yourself out." Koala Kong grunted, seemingly as a sign of thanks. He walked to the back of the Jeep as Cortex and Brio entered into the castle. When he looked into Crash's cage, Crash, once again fearing for his life, backed into a corner of the cage.

Grinning, he picked up the three cages and disappeared into the castle. Marching through the hallway, Kong stared into the piercing darkness, while Crash looked around at the gloomy faces that made littered the cells. Finally, Kong halted in front of a cell with the word "bandicoot" printed on the metal nametag located above the door; impatiently, Kong opened Crash's cage, shook him into his cell, and slammed the cell door shut.

Alone in his cell, Crash once again looked at the dark, gloomy faces that peered at him through the dimly lit hall of cells. From koalas to kangaroos, he was amazed by the variety of animals locked up alongside him. Just as he lost all hope, Crash recognized a familiar face…


	2. Chapter 2

Pain. That's all that Crash could think about. It has only been a week since he was captured, and yet he was already being experimented on by Cortex and Brio. He had been mutated from a simple bandicoot to a five foot tall, anthromorphic freak; he could stand on two feet and was capable of audible grunts. And, apparently, Crash's grunts were fairly noticeable, because Brio started to become a bit concerned.

"Cortex," Brio started. "Are you sure this is safe? He sounds as if he is in a lot of pain."

Cortex just laughed. "Moron! This is the same process I used on all of my henchmen, including Koala Kong, yet I only had one failure."

"Do I want to know how that turned out?" Brio asked.

"No," Cortex replied. "Because that was the reason I had to tweak the process."

"And how long ago was that?" Cortex remained silent.

"Earth to Cortex. How long…"

"Two weeks ago," Cortex silently replied.

Brio was puzzled. "Then why…"

"Because," Cortex continued, reluctantly, "I didn't want you to worry about it. The subject escaped after the process, and I was too ashamed to accept it." Cortex walked over to the window, wearing a sad look on his face. "I knew the process wasn't perfect, so I tweaked a few kinks to help make the next subject, that bandicoot, the leader of my army."

Brio wanted to know more, but he just kept to himself and continued to torment Crash with serums and electric zaps.

After hours of pain, Koala tossed Crash back into his cell and walked away. Donning brown gloves and a pair of blue jeans, Crash just sat in a corner, considering his options.

"Hey, Crash," a voice behind him called. He turned to find his one source of happiness: his sister, Coco. Crash waved back at her, half heartedly.

"You hanging in there?" Coco asked. Crash moaned in disagreement.

"It must not be easy for you, bro. I should know. I've been here for much longer than you have, and it was unbearable what they did to me." Crash grunted, as if he agreed with her. He had never thought about how Coco went through exactly what he was going through now. In fact, this realization depressed him.

"Well, don't you worry," Coco continued, "we're in this together now, and I'm sure we'll be out soon. Good night, bro." She backed into her own cell, hidden from Crash's view. Feeling worn out, Crash backed into a corner and went to sleep.

With full concern, Brio decided to confront Cortex about his plan.

"Cortex!" Brio called. Cortex came out of his lab.

"What is it now, Brio," He demanded.

"I'd just like to ask you a serious question," Brio told Cortex.

"What's that?"

Brio resisted for a moment, but finally asked, "What exactly is your plan for world domination, and what makes the bandicoot perfect for the plan?"

Cortex had a puzzled look on his face for just a moment, but quickly melted into a grin.

"I'm glad you asked," Cortex replied, "Because I've been meaning to tell you for almost a week. I didn't have all the details in place yet, but now I do." Cortex walked to the door of his lab. "Won't you join me?" Brio nodded, and made a dash to the door as well. Suddenly, the lights lit up the entire lab.

"You see," Cortex began, "it all started almost a year ago, about the same time I met you. When you asked what I wanted to do with my life, do you remember what I replied?"

"Yea, biological sciences," Brio replied. "So?"

"So, I knew I wanted to do something with that knowledge, but I didn't know what. Then, I started watching a lot of science movies about creatures destroying cities and mad scientists. I thought they were so cool that I wanted to do something like that. So after that, I experimented with several different types of technologies until I discovered a way to turn animals into human-like beings.

"After that, I began to find a place to settle down and expand my research until I chose this trio of islands. After spending five months building this castle, I invited you here to help out. Remember that?"

"Yes. But how does that tie into your plan?"

"This." Cortex pulled the drape off of a machine that had caught the attention of Brio for weeks now. Mounted to the ground was an orange colored chair with hydraulics installed, and on the ceiling, a chamber lined with yellow lights was mounted as well.

"What is that?" Brio asked in awe.

"The Cortex Vortex," Cortex replied. "And with it, I can finally control the world."

"But why do you need that bandicoot? Couldn't you have used Koala Kong for that?"

"I tried," Cortex replied, "but he wasn't compatible. In fact, lots of testing revealed that most of the island's inhabitants are incompatible. I believe it was because they were mostly predators and could not be controlled.

"However, I never tried using the weaker, more vulnerable inhabitants like that bandicoot. My thinking is if I can control a creature that is weaker than the rest, then the world may yet be mine!"

"Ahh, I see. Predators have more instinct that could override any commands you might give them. But, if you control the vulnerable, those who have little to live for, then they could be more susceptible to influence. Like a baby learning from its mother.

"Precisely, my friend." Cortex let out a hand to his wary, yet trustworthy comrade.

"Are you still with me, Brio?" Cortex asked. "Won't you stand by my side?"

Brio instantly shook his hand in agreement. "I always have. You know that. We're like brothers."

Cortex smiled. "Then give me some results and the world will be ours for the taking."

"As you wish, sir."


End file.
